What is Purple Day?

Purple Day is an annual event to raise awareness about Epilepsy and to help people with the condition. Cassidy Megan, who has Epilepsy herself, set-up the day as a way of making people more aware of what it is like to live with Epilepsy. This year, Purple Day is on March 26th.

As part of the day, there are lots of activities that people can do to help to raise money for Epilepsy charities and groups. People can make cakes, paint their faces, wear purple, sell raffle tickets and colour their hair. All of the money and raised awareness will help to improve the lives of people with Epilepsy.

Having Epilepsy doesn’t mean that life can’t be fun…have a listen to what Lee, a Greenbank College student, has to say about living with the condition and how he doesn’t let it rule his life.

Whilst we were researching Epilepsy and Purple Day, the Pass It On reporters found out an interesting story about how seizure alert dogs can detect oncoming seizures and take their owners to a safe place or alert other people. If you are around someone who has a seizure, there are a few things you should remember to do. Listen to this short audio piece on Epilepsy first aid to find out more:

Epilepsy is a brain condition. Seizures are caused by surges of electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy can be diagnosed by an Electroencephalograph, a machine that measures electrical activity in the brain. Different factors such as lack of sleep, missing meals, stress, excitement and emotional upset can cause a seizure.

For more information about Purple Day and Epilepsy you could visit these sites: